Armed Robber Killed in La Mirada Gas Station Shootout with Police ID'd

LA MIRADA, CA -- Authorities Wednesday identified an armed robber who was fatally wounded in a shootout with a sheriff's SWAT team after a three-hour barricade at a gas station convenience in La Mirada.

Mark Sly, 45, of La Habra Heights died at the scene of the shooting, which occurred early Tuesday morning at an am/pm store at a 24-hour Arco gas station at 13550 S. Beach Blvd., according to the coroner's office and the sheriff's department. No deputies were injured.

Deputies went to the scene at 9:15 p.m. Monday on a report of a robbery in progress and saw a man "standing at the front door of the store -- holding a handgun -- who matched the description of the person in the call," according to a sheriff's statement.

Deputies said they gave several verbal commands to the suspect to drop the weapon, but he ignored them and walked back into the store. No employees or customers were inside.

A Special Enforcement Bureau SWAT team was summoned, and crisis negotiators spoke with the suspect by phone, but he refused to surrender.

"While the suspect was inside the store, he fired one round through the front window of the location," according to the sheriff's statement. "Special Enforcement Bureau personnel encountered the armed suspect as he walked to the front door of the location, holding a handgun (and) a deputy- involved shooting occurred with one of the SEB deputies."

According to authorities, the suspect retreated back inside the store, then "again exited the location, pointed and fired at the Special Enforcement Bureau personnel (and) a second deputy-involved shooting occurred involving two SEB deputies."

The shooting will be investigated by the sheriff's homicide and internal affairs bureaus and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

-- City News Service, photo via Shutterstock